Many applications require the ability to easily fasten and unfasten two separate pieces of an article. Typical examples include clothing and jackets as well as luggage, purses, and other transportation receptacles, sporting goods, camping gear such as tents and sleeping bags, belts and straps, and other applications. Commonly, such items employ zippers, snaps or buttons, or Velcro fasteners to facilitate this need. Examples of such technology are depicted in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,941,383, 3,969,794, 4,546,026, 4,677,011, 5,640,744, 6,243,927, 6,393,678, and 6,481,064. The teachings of these documents are hereby incorporated in their entireties.
However, zipper, button, and Velcro technologies suffer from several drawbacks. Zippers can fail under substantial load and frequently get stuck when material gets caught between the teeth. Also zippers can be loud when fastening or unfastening. Similarly, snaps/buttons can break or become inoperable when dirt or debris get caught within, making them far less effective. Velcro applications also have similar drawbacks, create noise when engaging and disengaging and becoming less effective over time after catching dirt and debris. Further, the clothing or other item's material often gets caught in the Velcro, sometimes causing damage.
Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for a robust fastening device that can be fastened and unfastened quietly and easily, can continue to operate effectively over time despite repeated use. It is an objective of the present technology to overcome these drawbacks and provide such a fastener capable of quick and effective engagement and optional disengagement.